Women twice as likely as men to be depressed

"Women in crisis as depression fuels binge-drinking and sex - research

Generations of women are in crisis due to relationship breakdown, bereavement or debt, according to a report warning that one in three has taken anti-depressants.By Tim Ross, Social Affairs Editor 7:00AM GMT 11 Jan 2011

More than 15 million women have suffered mental health problems of some kind, and are twice as likely as men to be depressed, the study said.

Depression can be highly damaging, leading women to engage in self-destructive behaviour such as drinking, sexual promiscuity and building up debt, according to the report, released by support group Platform 51, formerly the YWCA.

The group called on ministers to review the over-reliance on anti-depressant drugs to treat mild and moderate mental health problems and to make counselling and psychotherapy more easily available to women.

The study suggested girls and women were almost twice as likely as boys and men to suffer from depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and low self-esteem.

The report, Women like me: supporting wellbeing in girls and women, warned there was evidence that womens mental health was getting worse.

It said: Our research shows approximately 15.2 million women aged 12 and over in England and Wales have been affected by mental health problems of some kind.In 2009 an NHS report revealed that female mental health is worsening with increasing numbers of women suffering depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts."

I had an awful thought that occured to me during a dark hour in the middle of the night once.

Are women depressed because we are angry? I have heard that depression is anger turned on yourself? And is that anger perfectly legitimate?

Anger at being treated as second class citizens.

Anger that a good proportion of us have been abused by men in some way

And then came the really worrying thought. That maybe we are told we have an organic mental illness and pills thrown at us because that is what the patriarchy wants us to believe. That there is something wrong with us, when actually depression and anger is a perfectly natural reaction to this injustice

I was depressed and I was raised by a misogynist bully. I once saw a male psychiatrist who dismissed my worries about having been sexually abused out of hand. He tried to medicate me but I had been there and it just numbed the pain.

Now I am angry but I am not depressed. I am angry because I realise that I was abused.